Foldable display-rack for caskets.



Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1906.

G. 0. WHITGOMB & W. GLEAVER. FOLDABLE DIS-PLAY RACK ran GASKETS zwssm- CHARLES O. WHITOOMB AND WILLIAM OLEAVER, OF OXFORD, MICHIGAN.

FOLDABLE DISPLAY-RACK FOR GASKETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 16, 1909.

Application filed. February 10, 1906. Serial No. 300,391.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES O. WHIT- COMB and WILLIAM CLEAVER, citizens of the United States, residing at 0xford, in the county of Oakland, State of Michi an, have invented certain new and useful mprovements in Foldable Display-Racks for Caskets and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a folding display rack for burial caskets, and consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out particularly in the claim.

The object of the invention is to provide a display rack for burial caskets, of simple and inexpensive construction in which the arrangement is such as to enable the casket to be supported thereon in a vertical position and the rack folded u wardly to occupy a vertical position paralle with the casket, means being provided to prevent lateral displacement of the casket; a further arrangement also provides for swinging the casket and a portion of the rack to a horizontal position to enable the casket to be displayed on all sides, the caskets when not being exhibited, standing in a vertical position around the display room, thereby occupying but a comparatively small space, enabling a great many caskets to be stored and displayed in a comparatively small room. The above object is attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved display rack showing the position of parts when extended, as when displaying a casket. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the rack folded with a casket in a vertical position thereon, also showing by dotted lines the rack extended and supporting a casket. Fig. 3 is a view in detail of the adjustable cross bar at the end of the rack that, supports the end of the casket.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates the parallel bars of the base or pedestal provided at their ends with suitable casters 2 and connected at one end by a cross bar 3. Rising centrally from the base bars 1 are the standards 4 which are mounted on the transverse rod 5 passing through the base bars. Bracing the standards laterally are the joined brackets 6 and supporting said standards in a vertical position are the inclined braces 7 which extend from the top thereof downwardly to the base bars 1.

The display rack proper comprises an upper and a lower frame, the upper frame consisting of the parallel bars 8 connected by the transverse tie rods 9, 10, 11 and 12, the tie rod 11 passing through the u er ends of the standards 4 by means of W oh the bars 8 are pivoted to said standards. The rear ends of the bars 8 are bent at right angles, forming supports 13 for the end of the casket. The lower frame of the rack consists of the parallel bars 14 pivoted at their rear ends on the cross rod 5 and connected by the cross rods 15 and 16. The extended end of the rack is supported in a horizontal position by the legs 17, the upper ends of which are pivotally mounted on the cross rod 9, and the lower ends of which are pivoted on the cross rod 16.

By the arrangement above described, when the rack is raised to a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 2, the bars of the upper and lower frame will stand ap roximately parallel while the legs 17 will f0 (1 inwardly and lie contiguous to said bars. Because of the fact that the points of pivot of the bars 8 and 14 are in vertical alinement, they are caused to close together when raised and to separate and stand in parallel relation when the rack is extended, as shown in Fig. 1, enabling the rack to be practically collapsed in its vertical position, thereby effecting material economy in space.

In practice, the caskets will be mounted on the racks so as to normally stand in a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 2, with the pgps of the caskets presented outwardly.

hen it is desired to display a casket, the pedestal is moved outwardly from the wall and turned so as to present the hinged portion of the rack outwardly; said rack with the casket thereon is then lowered, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, in which position the casket may be seen from all sides. After being inspected, the casket may be restored to its normal position by swinging the hinged or jointed portion of the rack upwardly so as to cause the casket to assume a vertical position, thereby effecting great economy in s ace, yet rendering each of the caskets in tlie display room readily accessible.

In order to cause the casket to stand vertically upon the end supports 3, an adjustable cross bar 18 is provided which is rectangular in shape and provided in its end portions with s ots 19 through which pass the bolts 20 that receive the thumb nuts 21, said bolts passing through the ends of the supports 13. By loosening said nuts, the cross bar 18 may be adjusted so as to engage the end of the casket in a proper manner to maintain the casket in the desired vertical position, thereby compensating for any variation in the base moldings of caskets and enabling a casket to be always supported in proper position irrespective of the character of its moldings and the shape of the ends thereof.

It Will be noted that when the casket is in a vertical position, the rack cannot inadvertentl r or accidentally fall to a horizontal position, because of the fact that the weight of the casket will prevent the rack swinging unassisted on the pivotal point of the rod-11.

It is only when the hinged portion of the rack with the casket thereon is forcibly drawn downwardly until the preponderance of weight is between said pivotal point and the outer end of said rack, that said rack will naturally fall to a horizontal position.

It will be noted that the supports 13 at the ends of the bars of the upper frame of the rack serve to prevent the casket sliding endwise upon the rack when changed from a vertical to a horizontal position or vice versa. It will also be noted that the rack which is made preferably of iron, is com: paratively light, yet sufficiently strong to render it amply serviceable for the purpose intended.

Having thus fully set forth our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a device for the pur ose set forth, the combination of a pedesta, comprising parallel base bars and vertical standards extending centrally therefrom supported by inclined braces, a rack consisting of an upper frame formed of connected parallel bars and a lower frame also formed of connected parallel bars, the bars of the upper and lower frame being hinged to the pedestal in vertical alinement, the bars of the upper frame L beinghinged to thetop of said standards, and the bars of the lower frame being hinged to the center of said base bars, legs pivoted to the outer ends of the bars of said frames, the rear ends of the bars of the upper frame extending over the pedestal and being bent at right angles to form a support for the end of the casket.

In testimony whereof, we sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES O. VVHITCOMB. VVILLIAh l CLEAVER. Witnesses E. S. WVHEELEB, I. G. Bowman. 1 

